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East Lancs drug addict jailed after raid on family home

A DRUG addicted raider who brought terror to a family home when the victim found him in the back yard and then his bedroom, is behind bars.

Burnley Crown Court was told how father-of-four Daniel Smedley, 24, took a haul worth more than £550 from the property on Whalley Road, Clayton-le- Moors, while two children were in bed.

The property was recovered, including an iPhone which was found and returned.

Smedley, who had been heard to say, “Where's the knife?” while in the bedroom at the house, was racially abusive to an officer when he was arrested by police, threatened to smash his face in and shouted: “Get him away from me.”

Smedley, a ‘third strike’ house attacker, with 17 offences on his record was locked up for 32 months. The defendant, of Commercial Street, Rishton, had admitted burglary on July 19 and racially aggravated threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour.

Prosecutor Stephen Parker told the court just after 7am, the householders heard knocking at the front door and stones being thrown at a bedroom window. The couple went downstairs and saw Smedley in the back yard.

The victim,, spoke to him and Smedley asked: “Have you got a light?”He was told to go away. The couple were in the living room and heard noises upstairs and assumed it was their children. The victim went upstairs, went into his bedroom and saw Smedley in the room, holding a PlayStation.

He pulled the door shut and held the handle to prevent Smedley from getting out while his partner phoned the police.

Darren Lee-Smith, defending, said Smedley had taken a number of courses while on remand.